Housing Sovereignty Circle
Building homes by the people, for the people
This circle is focused on community-led change in housing systems. From training to advocacy, we support Tribal Nations and underserved communities in developing sovereign housing economies aligned with their cultural values.
- Supporting Native and BIPOC led housing initiatives
- Advancing bio-based, regenerative construction
- Securing land for housing sovereignty projects
- Supporting housing industry systems change
Members include: Tribal Nations, Native and BIPOC-led organizations and social enterprises, and frontline housing advocates.
Organizations
NW Living & Learning Community Collaborative
A BIPOC nonprofit providing hemp construction training
Sovereign Insurance Association for Native Nations
A Native nonprofit in support of Tribal Nation insurance sovereignty
NW Native Asset Building Coalition
A Native nonprofit in support of economic sovereignty
Pacific NW Black Business Coalition
A BIPOC nonprofit in support of economic sovereignty
Lean Revisions
A BIPOC social enterprise supporting Tribal Nation and BIPOC economic sovereignty
Stewards
Carma Corcoran
Chippewa-Cree
Cultural Sovereignty
Dr. Corcoran is an Adjunct Professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies Program at Portland State University, and directs American Indian Law at Lewis and Clark Law School. She addresses Native societal issues through workshops on Gentle Action Theory and Traditional Ways of Knowing and Being .
Suneeta Eisenberg
Housing Sovereignty
Suneeta is the Founder of the state of Washington's first hemp statewide community land trust, and the NW Living & Learning Community Collaborative which provides hemp construction training as a pathway towards housing sovereignty for underserved communities.
Andrea Alexander
Makah Elder
Economic Sovereignty
Andrea has leveraged over $480 million for Indian Country in Tribal Nation
transportation, energy and telecom. She is now working on economic sovereignty, addressing financial literacy issues in native communities to help develop new housing sovereignty models through the NW Native Asset Building Coalition.
which she founded..
Kenny Tolbert
Choctaw
Economic Sovereignty
Kenny founded the Sovereign Insurance Association for Native Nations (SIANN) to support Native American Nations who own or wish to form Tribal Sovereign Insurance Companies. His mission is to foster the creation of additional Sovereign Insurance companies across Indian Country.
Jeff Gray
Economic
Sovereignty
Jeff Gray is a renowned expert in Lean Six Sigma methodologies, He is the CEO of Lean Revisions, a leading provider of Lean Six Sigma training and consulting services, helping Tribal Nations optimize their Tribal Gaming and Hospitality industry. He is the host the podcast "The Lean Lounge,"
Housing sovereignty is about individuals and communities retaining their capacity to act, and to steward their own housing destiny, having the ability to nurture and protect their own housing economy. It is self-determination and self governance of a housing economy through the people, their land, spiritual ways, culture, and language through a self organizing ecosystem based on their intrinsic values. It is about being enabled to chart one’s own path to housing with, by and for your community, in harmony.
It is majority indigenous, and majority women in leadership and staff.
We advocate for sovereignty through housing and health coalitions of organizations and collectives of individuals.
Advocacy
There are many pathways of advocacy that build capacity for cultural, health and economic sovereignty
Start a local program
Let us help you start a cultural, health or economic sovereignty initiative in your community.
Join an advocacy group
Join one of our advocacy groups for sovereign housing or medicine and meet other supporters like yourself.
Discover your role
Let us help you identify your role in growing capacity for cultural , health and economic sovereignty.